Two CAN become one
We’re constantly told that the source of all our woes is the lack of economic growth, says Newcastle Central and West MP Chi Onwurah. What we are not told is that the solution to this problem is staring us in the face - the economic potential of the majority of the British people who don’t live in Greater London.
The chair of parliament’s science, innovation and technology select committee didn’t mince her words in an op-ed for the FT this week.
“From a productivity and GDP per head perspective we are two nations: Greater London and the South East, and everywhere else. Even small increases in productivity beyond London and the South East would break the stranglehold of stagnation.”
She said this meant an investment in science and technology, building on the business and technology strengths of the regions and working with mayors in particular.
“We must take up this agenda,” she says. “And it must begin with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology - but not end there. Lifting productivity must be a co-ordinated project across government.
“Unfortunately, my committee’s work has also revealed an enduring complacency and lack of regional lens in many Whitehall departments. If that parochialism is left undisturbed we will remain two countries when it comes to productivity and output - suffering economic stagnation while staring at the solution.”
£20m funding
Minister for Local Growth, Alex Norris, visited Hebburn and South Shields on Monday to announce £20m of funding from the Community Regeneration Partnership, including £2m to Hebburn Town FC for its community hub project.
Stat of shame
A shocking 85% of children in Middlesbrough's Newport ward are growing up in poverty - four times the national average.
Education Minister Catherine McKinnell was there this week, attending a session at the Teesside Academy of Gymnastics and meeting children taking part in the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme.
The Newcastle North MP said the Government was “absolutely determined” to ensure that where youngsters came from and their family’s means was not the sole determining factor in what could be achieved in life.
Homes on track
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was in Newcastle on Wednesday to announce the launch of Platform4, a government development company aimed at transforming surplus railway land into housing.
The visit spotlighted the Forth Goods Yard near Central Station as one of four priority sites in the country for regeneration, with plans for up to 600 homes, a multi-storey car park, and an elevated pedestrian and cycle route inspired by New York’s High Line.
It is hoped the development could act as a catalyst to the wider Forth Yards project, including the much larger Quayside West scheme.
Opportunity knocks
The first visit of senior Labour politician to the region this week actually came on Saturday when Rachel Reeves joined the canvassing efforts in Newcastle’s South Jesmond ward ahead of a by-election on August 14.
The Chancellor took time away from a family trip to the region to go door-knocking with MP Catherine McKinnell and North East mayor Kim McGuinness.
Labour no longer has an overall majority on the council and it’s a measure of how important the seat is to them that Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Susan Dungworth and deputy council leader Alex Hay also joined the campaign team.
Falcons no more
Newcastle Falcons will be known as Newcastle Red Bull from next season after the energy drink company agreed terms with former Chair Semore Kurdi to take over the Premiership club.
Red Bull has a strong sporting pedigree and they have shelved plans to move to Darlington from Kingston Park. They plan to improve facilities, strengthen youth development and make the club a northern hub for elite rugby.
Home switch
One team who won’t be playing at Kingston Park next season is Newcastle United Women FC, who will be moving to Gateshead International Stadium. The move comes with the promise of investment by the football club in the pitch and facilities.
More trains
The rail regulator is to allow additional trains to run on the East Coast Main Line from December. Lumo will be allowed to extend its existing London-Edinburgh service to Glasgow, and will also put on additional services between King's Cross and Newcastle.
Grand Central will expand its regional services with a new link to Seaham and additional trains between Wakefield and Bradford.
High costs
There are five options for upgrading the notorious Moor Farm and Seaton Burn roundabouts on the A19, according to documents obtained under a Freedom of Information request by Local Democracy Reporter James Robinson.
The costs range from £300m to £775m with only the cheapest option having a positive figure from a cost-benefit analysis.
Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson said he was disappointed with the figures because they seem so high, but said the battle to get the improvements will continue.
“We need the right transport links. Nobody is going to invest in a county which has 15-20 minute delays because of those roundabouts.”
Sage deal
Sage has signed a long-term partnership with the English Football League (EFL) to become its official accounting software partner.
The company aims to champion the 3.5m small and medium-sized businesses that underpin matchday experiences and have appointed Gary Neville, co-owner of Salford City, as brand ambassador.
A quick word
A team of researchers from Northumbria, Cardiff and Manchester universities has has been awarded £900,000 to lead a study into tackling fraud in the NHS, which is estimated to cost £1.3bn every year. The North East Combined Authority and Durham County Council have contributed £2m to allow work to resume on the STACK development of bars and food outlets in Bishop Auckland. BrewDog has announced plans to close 10 pubs around the country but says it is still planning to open in Milburngate in Durham despite years of delay. More than 17,000 chargepoints for electric vehicles have been added to the UK network in the past year, with the North East showing the biggest growth of 41% - from an admittedly low base. A trial to close Barrack Road to vehicles for 45 minutes after Newcastle United matches will be held on August 8 and 9. A book bus that has been visiting Tynemouth twice a week since the closure of the library in 2020 is to be scrapped because of low usage. The former Keelmen's Hospital in City Road, Newcastle, which has been derelict for 16 years, will be converted into 20 flats, with work set to start next April. Tynemouth teenagers Andrew Fairhurst and Max Whitelaw have completed the Three Peaks Challenge in memory of their friend Matthew Hall who died from a rare form of cancer. Mum Jane Hall said: “I am very proud of Andrew and Max taking on the Three Peaks. It was something Matthew wanted to do. Right up until Easter he was still planning doing it.” The fifth Durham Fringe Festival drew audiences of 8,500 people - an increase of about 1,000 on the previous record-breaking year. Aldi has applied for permission to instal 222 solar panels on the roof of a store it is building in Sunderland. The Scottish government have approved plans by SSE Renewables for Berwick Bank, a massive offshore wind farm off the East Lothian coast which will produce enough energy to power six million homes. The 307 turbines will have two links to the National Grid - one at Blyth and the other near Dunbar.
Still on track
Greggs CEO Roisin Currie said the business remains resilient and focused on long-term growth after reporting first-half sales of over £1bn but a 7% drop in operating profit.
Plans remain on track to open up to 150 new shops this year, the healthier choice range is seeing good momentum, and a new frozen range will launch in Tesco in September.
Bad smell
The organisers of Hardwick Festival are objecting to a planned organic waste processing plant designed to convert food waste and farmyard manure into methane gas for the national grid.
Around 800 objections have been lodged against the project at Sprucely Farm near Sedgefield. Hardwick Hall owner John Adamson, the festival’s host, has put plans for an £18 million investment on hold, citing the potential impact of unpleasant smells and increased traffic.
Career opening
Sunderland College’s innovative approach to skills training continues with the opening of the VELUX Skills Academy to address the shortage of skilled window installers.
Ellen Thinnesen, chief executive at Education Partnership North East, which includes Sunderland College, said: “The VELUX Skills Academy will join a dynamic ecosystem of on-site education and industry partners, including the Gentoo Trades Academy and Northumbria University’s Construction Clinic, with more to be announced soon.”
Birthday cheers
Sunderland hospitality and events venue Sheepfolds Stables is toasting a successful first year. The Grade II-listed venue has sold more than 68,000 pints of its exclusive Pit Pony lager, hosted 350 live gigs and welcomed 11,000 guests to more than 180 private and corporate events.
With its mix of independent food and drink operators, it has also become something of a family-friendly fan zone for supporters going to matches at the nearby Stadium of Light. It’s expected to be busier this season for some reason.
Business bites
Filtronic’s success in the aerospace and defence sectors has been emphasised with an outstanding set of results which has seen revenues rise 121% to £56.3m, operating profit increase 272% to £13.4m and profit for the year go from £3.1m to £14m - an leap of 352%. Hays Travel has made a “significant acquisition” by taking over Redditch-based online cruise business Victoria Travel Group and its 270 staff. We knew it was happening, well now it’s happened - UK Top 100 law firm Ward Hadaway has completed its merger with Teesside-based commercial law firm The Endeavour Partnership. The Government’s green light for the Sizewell C nuclear power station will create thousands of jobs in the UK supply chain, including 200 at Assystem’s base in Sunderland which currently employs 80 staff. Esh Group has posted a strong set of results for 2024 with operating profit up 80% to £5.2m and their cash balance doubling to £36m, the highest in the company’s history. Atom Bank founder Anthony Thomson has announced plans to launch his fourth bank, this time aimed at family offices and high net worth individuals. Opening an office in India has been a game-changer for tech firm The Resolved Group, with turnover forecast to rise by 500% this year. “Hartlepool is our home, but the Indian site has been our passport to international trade,” said founder and MD Chris Carroll. Listed landlord Grainger has appointed Simon Fraser as new Chair designate to succeed Mark Clare, whose nine-year tenure ends in February next year. Hargreaves Services has delivered another strong set of results with substantial growth in both revenue and profits. Technology firm Kromek has secured a further $5 million as part of a “landmark” deal with Siemens Healthineers.
1985 ad break
An American Eagle ad campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney is currently causing controversy, I hear.
I confess I had to look up both. American Eagle makes jeans, apparently, and Sydney is a woman. A white, blonde, blue-eyed woman who starred in The Handmaid’s Tale and The White Lotus.
I’m not going to give any credence to the people complaining about the “great jeans/genes” line, but apparently some people feel the ad ‘caters to the male gaze’, with lingering shots of Sydney’s body and minimal focus on the actual jeans.
Well, just wait till they get a load of this Levis 501 ad from 1985 featuring Nick Kamen…
THE WIDER VIEW
There’s only one North East
I know there’s been a fair bit of sport mentioned already, but this goes beyond sport and probably sits closer to the Passionate People, Passionate Places campaign that was started by One North East in 2005 - and ran for six years until the coalition government scrapped regional development agencies.
Newcastle United have wealthy owners, have recently won a cup and have qualified for this season’s Champions League, the biggest and most lucrative football tournament in Europe.
You would expect it would be easy, therefore, for them to sign any player their manager wanted. Not so. Most of their targets have chosen to go to clubs in Manchester and London instead. This has sparked a big thing in the national media about the North East not being an attractive destination.
What?
Years ago I spoke to NGI on this very subject and suggested we get pro-active and produce a video and set up a tour so that we could showcase the best of the region to the wives, partners and children of any potential new signing - whether that be from the world of football, business or wherever.
That was then. Today, it is surely within our collective gift to produce a visually stunning and compelling story of why the North East is the perfect place to live.
Some people may think we are remote and isolated. London and Edinburgh are the two most visited places by foreign tourists - one is three hours away on the train, the other is under two hours. And on our doorstep we have the most fantastic scenery, beaches, culture, restaurants, heritage, schools, universities…
Just saying.
Changing channels
YouTube has overtaken ITV to be the second most-watched service in Britain, according to Ofcom’s Media Nations 2025 report.
The BBC remains top with a 19% share, YouTube accounted for 14% of all viewing time with ITV in third with 12%. Netflix was in fourth with an 8% share.
Daily e-Mail
The owners of the Daily Mail have killed off the Mail Online brand and consolidated all its digital platforms under the single masthead, part of a major rebranding strategy aimed at having one million paid digital subscribers by October 2028 - they currently have 325,000.
It will be interesting to see what they do, as Mail Online had a far greater focus on celebrity gossip, viral stories, and sensational headlines. Actually, cancel that. I’m not that interested.
No smoking signs
Two of the best stop smoking medications have been available in the UK since 2024, so why is no one using them? An interesting report in The Conversation.
Arrested development
The only football team to have beaten Barcelona home and away in a European tie has been caught claiming nearly a quarter of their players’ salaries as research and development costs.
Dundee United claimed players spent 24% of their time on R&D projects, including nutrition and data collection. They also claimed 80% of the club chef’s time was spent on nutrition science research.
This case highlights broader concerns about the misuse of the R&D scheme. HMRC has said at least 33 professional football clubs are under investigation regarding £17m in potentially wrongful claims.
Tax expert Dan Neidle has published Dundee United’s relief claim document on his Tax Policy Associates Substack. He said: “We're publishing the document because it's not just invalid - it is outrageous. R&D tax relief is intended to incentivise innovation. It applies to businesses seeking an ‘advance in science or technology’. It was never intended to apply to the wages of football players.”
Satisfaction not guaranteed
Got to say The Telegraph have done it again. No, nothing to do with their politics - they have me hooked with a list.
Just weeks after their greatest comedy sketches of all time, they have published the 30 greatest guitar riffs of all time. Well, the greatest according to one of their writers.
I was pleased to see that Boston’s More Than a Feeling (No 14), Layla by Derek and the Dominos (No 4), Seven Nation Army by White Stripes (No 20), Blue Oyster Cult’s (Don’t Fear) The Reaper (No 7) and Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit (No 5) were all there.
But, given the competition there must have been to make the final list, I was appalled to see He’s The Greatest Dancer by Sister Sledge (No 23) and the Bee Gees’ Stayin Alive (No 16) in there. Greatest guitar riffs of all time!
Top slot went to the Rolling Stones with (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, runners up spot went to Led Zeppelin and Whole Lotta Love with Black Sabbath’s Paranoid at No 3.
Bowie, Motorhead, T Rex, the Killers, Queen, the Ramones and Jimi Hendrix were all included - but no Dire Straits. Controversial.
But not as controversial as putting two disco tracks in there.